In the
early hours of September 27, 2017, the Indian Army’s Para
Regiment commandos, inflicted heavy casualties on the
Khaplang faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(NSCN-K)
in an operation at an unidentified location near Arunachal
Pradesh’s Longding District and Nagaland’s Mon District,
close to Langkhu village in Myanmar, along the India-Myanmar
international border. According to reports, after getting
specific intelligence inputs about a major infiltration
bid by NSCN-K militants in the area, the Army waited for
the militants to cross the border into Indian territory
before launching a major attack in which at least 30 militants
were killed. Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources said that,
without the recovery of bodies, it was difficult to estimate
exact casualties, but they were relying on ground reports.

Soon after
the operation, the Army's Eastern Command announced that
its Forces did not cross the international border and
it was not a “surgical strike”. A statement on September
27, 2017 disclosed, “In the early morning hours of 27
Sep, a column of Indian Army while operating on Indo-Myanmar
border was fired upon by unidentified insurgents. Own
troops reacted swiftly and brought down heavy retaliatory
fire on the insurgents. The insurgents then broke contact
and fled from the spot. As per inputs, a large number
of casualties were suffered by the insurgents. Own troops
suffered no casualties during the fire fight.”

However,
NSCN-K’s spokesperson/PRO (Public Relations Officer) ‘colonel’
Isak Sumi, in a Facebook post, claimed that “three
Indian soldiers were killed and an unconfirmed number
injured, but there was no casualty or injury on the Naga
Army during the encounter, which happened at Langkhu village
in Naga Self-Administered Zone inside Myanmar.” Further
on September 28, 2017, Isak Sumi countered the Indian
Army claim, asserting, “Indian Army shall learn to respect
their fellow those who took martyrdom on September 27,
2017 (sic)… History is evident that none was able
to evade Naga’s security system. Hence, in future too,
no enemy can evade Naga’s security to create any damage
to Naga Army.”

Security
Forces (SFs) had been tracking the movement of militants,
especially NSCN-K’s Mobile 2 Unit led by self-styled ‘lieutenant
colonel’ Bopa Wangsa along the Indo-Myanmar border and
had been carrying out aggressive operations over recent
months. On September 4, 2017, troops of 21 Para Special
Forces and 16 Assam Rifles (AR) had launched a ‘major
strike’ on NSCN-K, killing one militant, injuring another,
and destroying a camp near Votnu village under Wakka circle
in the Longding District of Arunachal Pradesh, along the
Indo-Myanmar border. An unnamed official at Army Headquarters
had then claimed "Several other militants managed
to escape into the nearby dense forest because of dense
fog in the area. The Special Forces recovered an AK-56,
a radio set and a hand grenade, along with live bullets.
During a combing operation, the forces located a camp
of the rebels and destroyed it." Army Chief General
Bipin Rawat later had stated later that day, "These
are normal and routine operations. Such operations happen
every day." The encounter site was around 15 kilometres
from the Indo-Myanmar border.

Earlier,
in the night of September 1,, 2017, SFs had
killed a self-styled ‘corporal’ of the NSCN-K, identified
as Honcham Wangsa, in an operation near Kunsa village
in Longding District, along the Indo-Myanmar border. A
pistol and other incriminating evidence were recovered
from the slain militant. A defence source disclosed, on
September 2, 2017, that SFs had carried out the operation
acting on specific intelligence about NSCN-K cadres trying
to exfiltrate from Indian territory into Myanmar. Other
NSCN-K cadres managed to escape using the cover of darkness
and bad weather.

Significantly,
just five days after the June 4, 2015, attack
at Chandel in Manipur in which 18
Army personnel were killed, the Indian Army had carried
out ‘surgical operations’ inside Myanmar on June 9, 2015,
to target militant groups believed to be ‘responsible’
for the killing and reportedly killed ‘several’ insurgents
in different militant camps there. Though there was much
initial
chest-thumping by the Indian Government,
after being pressurised buy the Myanmarese Government,
a course correction was made. Significantly, the gallantry
award (2015) citations of the heroes of the strike made
no mention of the neighbouring nation (Myanmar), suggesting
instead that the operation took place within Manipur and
Nagaland.

The recent
incidents show that vulnerabilities along the Indo-Myanmar
border persist. Almost the entire area along the 1,640
kilometre-long border, which stretches across four north-eastern
states – Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur
– remains volatile and has witnessed deadly militant attacks
on SFs in the recent past.

On April
10, 2017, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram
Ahir disclosed in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of
the Indian Parliament) that insurgent activities in the
Northeast along the Indo-Myanmar border had registered
an increase compared to the Indo-Bangladesh border over
the past three years. During the period 2015 to March
31, 2017, terror activities along the Indo-Myanmar border
had risen alarmingly as a result of insurgents groups
shifting their bases from Bangladesh to territories within
Myanmar and China. According to the Minister:

The Indo-Myanmar border has been witnessing steady
rise in insurgent activities during the period with
as many as 206 encounters reported between militants
and security personnel spread across four North-eastern
States, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and
Mizoram. While 18 security personnel lost their
lives, 32 insurgents were killed in these encounters.
A total 337 rebels were arrested from the international
border in the four States during this period. Among
the four North-eastern States sharing Myanmar border,
maximum number of encounters took place in Arunachal
Pradesh. As many as 81 encounters were reported
in that State where three security personnel and
13 militants were killed. During this period, 114
suspected insurgents were arrested. Even in 2017,
13 encounter cases have been reported till March
in Arunachal along the border with Myanmar.

Similarly,
in the Northeast Security Review meeting, chaired by Union
Home Minister (UHM) Rajnath Singh, held at New Delhi on
May 16, 2017, it was emphasized that five contiguous Districts
of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland along the Indo-Myanmar
border (Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts of Arunachal;
and Mon and Tuensang Districts of Nagaland) had emerged
as the hub of the ‘last remaining militants’ in the Northeast.
During the meeting one official stated, "The biggest
advantage of these five Districts is their proximity to
the NSCN-K-controlled areas of Myanmar and their highly
difficult terrain, which makes patrolling a difficult
task for security agencies."

According
to partial data compiled by the Institute for Conflict
Management (ICM), between January 1, 2006, and October
1, 2017, there were at least 792 fatalities, including
176 civilians, 145 SF personnel and 471 militants, in
12 Districts spread across the four north-eastern States
[Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland] of
India that shares borders with Myanmar. In terms of such
fatalities, three Manipur Districts were the worst affected:
Chandel, accounting for 255 fatalities (56 civilians,
67 SF personnel and 132 militants), followed by Churachandpur,
with 155 fatalities (51 civilians, 18 SF personnel and
86 militants); Ukhrul, with 134 fatalities (31 civilians,
36 SF personnel and 67 militants). The other border Districts
which recorded fatalities included Tirap, 66 (2 civilians,
8 SF personnel and 56 militants); Tuensang, 47 (17 civilians
and 30 militants); Mon, 46 (3 civilians, 9 SF personnel
and 34 militants); Phek, 33 (5 civilians and 28 militants);
Changlang, 18 (3 civilians, 3 SF personnel and 12 militants);
Kiphire, 14 (1 civilian and 13 militants); Kamjong, 9
(2 civilians, 2 SF personnel and 5 militants); Longding,
8 (all militants); and Tengnoupal, 7 (5 civilians and
2 SF personnel). There are 18 Districts along the India-Myanmar
border in the region, including Phek, Tuensang, Mon and
Kiphire Districts in Nagaland; Tirap, Changlang, Anjaw
and Longding in Arunachal Pradesh; Chandel, Ukhrul, Churachandpur,
Kamjong and Tengnoupal in Manipur; and Champhai, Serchhip,
Lunglei, Lawngtlai and Saiha in Mizoram. Champhai, Serchhip,
Lunglei, Lawngtlai, Saiha and Anjaw recorded no such fatalities
in this period. Two new Districts, Kamjong and Tengnoupal
were created in December 2016, carved out from Ukhrul
and Chandel Districts of Manipur, respectively.

NSCN-K
lost its ‘founding chairman’ S.S. Khaplang, who died
due to prolonged illness on June 9, 2017. It nevertheless
remains the biggest worry in this region. Along with the
umbrella group formed under Khaplang’s leadership, the
United National Liberation Front of Western South East
Asia (UNLFWESEA) was found responsible for at least 123
fatalities (seven civilians, 34 SF personnel and 82 militants)
of the 572 fatalities (where the identity of the group
involved has been established) out of a total 792 fatalities
recorded across the Northeast region along the Indo-Myanmar
border (between January 1, 2006, and October 1, 2017).
Moreover, most of the recent
major attacks on SFs along the Indo-Myanmar
border, including the June 4, 2015, Chandel attack, were
carried out by NSCN-K and UNLFWESEA.

Most of
the top NSCN-K leadership, including its new ‘chairman’
Khango Konyak, remains inside Myanmar and its operational
capabilities in India’s Northeast depend heavily on their
presence and safe havens in Myanmar. Out of the total
estimated cadre strength of around 1,300, more than 1,000
NSCN-K cadres are sheltering in different militant camps
inside Myanmar territory along the Indo-Myanmar border.

Recent
attempts to fence the Indo-Myanmar border, which has no
proper physical demarcation, have met with mass protests
on both sides. The Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allows
resident tribals along the border to move up to 16 kilometres
across the boundary without restrictions, have been consistently
misused by insurgents groups, and by smugglers for drugs,
weapons and human trafficking.

At a time
when the Northeast is witnessing dramatic
improvements in insurgency related
violence, the clustering of all surviving northeast militant
formations in Myanmar and the support they receive from
non-state groups there, remain a major challenge for the
Indian security establishment. Active engagement and close
coordination between India and Myanmar are necessary of
the residual threat to security and stability in India’s
Northeast, as well as in West and North West Myanmar,
are to be effectively neutralized.

On September
24, 2017, three cadres of the People's Liberation Front
of India (PLFI) were killed in an encounter in the Tonia
Kullatuttu Forest in the Simdega District of Jharkhand.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajiv Ranjan Singh disclosed
that, acting on a tip-off that PLFI’s ‘chief’ Dinesh Gope,
along and his squad members had assembled in Tonia Kullatuttu
to commit a crime, Security Force (SF) personnel drawn
from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and District
Police, launched a massive search operation. On seeing
SF personnel, PLFI cadres opened fire, provoking retaliation.
In the exchange, three PLFI cadres were killed. The bodies
of the slain PLFI cadres were recovered, but they are
yet to be identified. According to reports, Gope suffered
injuries, but managed to escape. SFs also recovered an
AK-47 rifle, Light Machine Gun (LMG), carbine and items
of daily use. PLFI is a splinter group of the Communist
Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist),
and broke away from the parent formation in 2007.

On September
12, 2017, two cadres of PLFI, including a woman, were
killed in a joint operation by SFs comprising CRPF and
the District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel, at Kantabandatoli
Hill under the Gudri Police Station in West Singhbhum
District. The bodies of the slain cadres were recovered,
though their identities are yet to be ascertained. SFs
recovered one 9mm carbine and one double-barrel gun along
ammunition from the spot.

On September
3, 2017, an exchange of fire took place between Simdega
District Police personnel and PLFI cadres led by its ‘chief’
Dinesh Gope at Bano Police Station in Simdega District.
Though, no casualty was reported in the encounter, SFs
recovered three motorcycles, 12 mobile phone chargers,
one switchboard, bags, mats, and other items of daily
use during the subsequent search operation.

According
to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), SFs in the State have eliminated at
least 21 Left Wing Extremists (LWEs) in the current year
(all data till October 2, 2017), of which five, i.e. 23.80
per cent, belonged to PLFI. During the corresponding period
of 2016, SFs had eliminated at least 33 LWEs, of which
17, i.e. 51.51 per cent, were PLFI cadres. Through 2016,
the number of LWEs killed was 40, out of which 18, i.e.
45 per cent, were PLFI cadres.

Similarly,
out of least 170 LWEs arrested in the current year, 80,
i.e. 47.05 per cent, belonged to PLFI. During the corresponding
period of 2016, SFs arrested at least 174 LWEs, of which
52, i.e. 29.88, per cent, were PLFI cadres. Through 2016,
the number of LWEs arrested was 233, out of which 74,
i.e. 31.75 per cent, were PLFI cadres.

Some of
the prominent PLFI cadres arrested in 2017 include: 'area
commander' Amrit Aind arrested in Simdega District on
September 1, 2017; 'area commander' Mathias Tuti aka
Mangra Tuti (28) arrested in Dakshina Kannada District
of Karnataka on August 13, 2017, and brought to Chaibasa
in West Singhbhum District; regional 'commander' Raju
Singh arrested in Khunti District on May 26, 2017; 'area
commander' Kuldip Gope arrested in Gumla District on May
16, 2017; and 'area commander' Prabhu Sahay Bodra arrested
in Khunti District on April 7, 2107.

Further,
one PLFI cadre surrendered in 2017 (all data till October
2, 2017), as against two in the corresponding period of
2016. The Total number of surrender PLFI was 17 through
2016. The surrender this year was of PLFI 'area commander'
Ruben Kerketta, who was carrying a reward of INR 200,000.
He surrendered in Khunti District on January 19, 2017.

20 incidents
of arms and ammunitions recovery were reported in 2017
in addition to 25 such incidents reported in the corresponding
period of 2016. Through 2016, there were 33 such incidents.

PLFI has
been put under enormous pressure by SFs and, unsurprisingly,
the group’s disruptive activities have declined in the
current year 2017, in comparison to the previous year,
after registering a spike in 2016 as against 2015.

Fatalities
of PLFI vs. CPI-Maoist and its other splinter groups since
2007*

Year

Total
Fatalities of Jharkhand

Fatalities
linked to CPI-Maoist and its other splinter groups
[excluding PLFI]

Fatalities
linked to PLFI

PLFI's
% of fatalities

2007

120

120

0

0

2008

163

162

1

0.61

2009

217

190

27

12.44

2010

147

136

11

7.48

2011

157

128

29

18.47

2012

98

71

27

27.55

2013

131

93

38

29.00

2014

97

73

24

24.74

2015

58

51

7

12.06

2016

81

55

26

32.09

2017

51

37

14

27.45

Total

1320

1116

204

15.45

*
PLFI formed in 2007; Data Source: SATP, **Data till
October 2, 2017

At least
14 persons, including seven civilians, two SF personnel,
and five PLFI cadres, have been killed in PLFI-linked
incidents in Jharkhand in 2017, thus far (data till October
2, 2017). During the corresponding period of 2016, there
were 29 such fatalities (12 civilians and 17 PLFI cadres).
Another three such fatalities (two civilians and one PLFI
cadre) were registered in the remaining period of 2016.

The total
number of Left Wing Extremism-linked fatalities in Jharkhand
in the current year stands at 51 – 28 civilians, two SF
personnel, 21 LWE cadres. The number of such fatalities
during the corresponding period of the previous year was
68 – 25 civilians, 10 SF personnel and 33 LWE cadres.
The State had a recorded a total of 81 LWE-linked fatalities
(31 civilians, 10 SF personnel, 40 LWE cadres) through
2016. PLFI has a share of 27.45 per cent of LWE-linked
fatalities in the current year, as against 33.82 per cent
in the corresponding period of 2016, and 32.09 per cent
through 2016.

PLFI wasformed in 2007.
Reports indicate that Dinesh Gope was a petty criminal
working under his elder brother Suresh Gope, who operated
in areas around Ranchi. Suresh Gope had rivalry with another
gangster, Jayanath Sahu aka Samrat, principally
over collecting ‘levies’ and expanding turf. Suresh was
killed in an encounter with Jharkhand Police on December
22, 2003, when he had gone to collect on an extortion
demand. Dinesh took charge of the gang and worked meticulously
to extend its area of operation. The gang was initially
named the Jharkhand Liberation Tigers (JLT) in September
2004. The rivalry with Jayanath Sahu continued. In the
meantime, in July 2007, Masi Charan Purty, a senior ‘commander’
of the CPI-Maoist, defected from the outfit with several
of his ‘followers’. While Masi was being hunted by the
Maoists, Dinesh was looking for ways to out-gun Jayanath.
It was a win-win proposition and Masi Charan and Dinesh
joined hands to create the PLFI. Masi Charan created a
rudimentary structure within the outfit, and provided
a cloak of LWE ideology, even as PLFI declared itself
a sworn enemy of CPI-Maoist. Though Masi Charan was arrested
a year later, PLFI continued to grow under Dinesh’s leadership.

The armed
strength of the group, according to estimates, fluctuates
between 150
to 300 cadres depending on SF pressure.
Though no latest official figure is available, according
to an August 19, 2013, report, Jharkhand State Police
under its ‘PLFI Action Plan’, had conducted a survey on
the cadre strength of the outfit, which found that there
were 264 PLFI cadres across Jharkhand – 82 in Ranchi,
55 in Khunti, 44 in Simdega, 44 in Chatra, 17 in Gumla,
14 in Palamu, five in Lohardaga and three in Latehar Districts.
Compounding the problem is the fact that virtually all
petty criminals operating in the area project themselves
as PLFI cadres. The outfit functions through several ‘area
commanders’. The PLFI’s area of operation of is mainly
Ranchi, Khunti, Simdega, Gumla, Latehar, Chatra and Palamu.

Ironically,
the State Government has also been instrumental in sustaining
PLFI during its initial days, using it to counter the
CPI-Maoist. However, the strategy backfired and PLFI became
one of the major LWE groups in the State. Unlike the Maoists,
PLFI has no ideology and is only concerned with extortion
and criminal activities. Hence, joining the PLFI is, and
always has been, comparatively easy. As the main source
of PLFI’s income comes from extortion and ‘levies’, it
attracts a large number of unemployed youth, who are lured
by the temptation of easy money.

On September
4, 2017, Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP),
Kuldeep Dwivedi, while briefing the media after the arrest
of five armed PLFI cadres who were planning to target
road construction sites for levy at the behest of the
outfit in Ranchi District on September 3, 2017, stated
that he did not see the arrests as a security threat to
the capital, as the PLFI had a "very minimal presence"
in Chanho, Mandar, Bijupara, Burmu and Khelari. The SSP
further disclosed, "In the past eight months, six
cases of robbery and arson for levy have been reported
in these places. All the crimes were carried out by Krishna
and his associates. They have confessed that they extorted
money from construction companies. Criminals like him
are soft targets for the PLFI, which recruits them to
expand its base.” Earlier, on January 8, 2017, Union Home
Minister Rajnath Singh stated, “I tell them (PLFI) that
exploitation of the poor and extortion won’t do.”

PLFI still
remains a concern. PLFI demanded ‘levy’ in 2017 on at
least seven occasions on record, as against three such
occasions in the corresponding period of 2016. There were
seven such incidents through 2016. It also carried out
at least six incidents of arson as against one such incidents
reported in the corresponding period of 2016. There were
four such incidents through 2016.

Civilians
continue to bear the brunt of PLFI violence. Out of 28
civilians killed in Left Wing Extremism-linked violence
in the State in 2017, seven were killed by the PLFI, i.e.
25 per cent. In the latest incident of civilian killing
by the outfit, on September 18, 2017, a couple, Amush
Kerketta (47) and wife Catherine (42), were shot dead
by suspected PLFI cadres at Konsa village under Kamdara
Police Station limits in Gumla District. The rebels left
behind a pamphlet alleging Amush was a ‘Police informer’.
In the corresponding period of 2016, PLFI was responsible
for 12 out of 25 civilians killed by LWEs, i.e. 48 per
cent.

PLFI has
been responsible for a large number of civilian deaths
recorded in LWE-linked violence in Jharkhand (where the
identity of the group involved has been established) since
January 31, 2009. Significantly, on this date, PLFI carried
out an attack at Chalgi village of Khunti District in
which it killed four civilians, the first ever PLFI-linked
civilian fatalities recorded in the State. Out of 436
civilians killed in Jharkhand by LWEs since January 31,
2009, PLFI has been responsible for 111 deaths, a significant
25.45 per cent.

SFs have
intensified their operations against the outfit, mainly
targeting the top leaders of the group. In this attempt,
on January 27, 2017, Simdega Police airdropped pamphlets
and posters with names and related bounties on top functionaries
of the PLFI hiding in remote areas of Simdega District.
The pamphlets carried names of PLFI's top ‘commanders’,
including its ‘chief’, Dinesh Gope, who carries a bounty
of INR 2.5 millions on his head. Dinesh Gope, however,
remains elusive and continues to operate, posing a genuine
challenge to security in the region of his influence.

NEWS
BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
September 25-October 1, 2017